Blurred Lines
by marniac
Summary: After placing Khan back into his cryogenic sleep, Kirk awakens one of Khan's crew members in hopes of reasoning and learning from them. When the youngest and seemingly harmless member of Khan's crew is brought back to life aboard the Enterprise, relationships are tested and new bonds are formed as she brings new meaning to 'good and evil'.
1. Chapter 1

It had been four days since they had removed the girl from her frozen slumber, and she still was not responding. Her vital signs showed that her body was functioning, but Bones could not get those eyes of hers to open. He sighed and placed his tricorder on the small table beside her bed. All those years - 263 to be exact - in that cryogenic sleep must have taken a toll on her, and why wouldn't it? Bones was not present when Khan was awakened, so maybe this was normal for these...super Humans.

"Captain, I need you down in the Med Bay ASAP." He called up to the bridge.

"On my way." Kirk replied. Bones crossed his arms and looked over the body in front of him one more time. She looked so young and so fragile. It was hard to think that she and 71 other members of her crew were just like Khan; killing machines. Kirk ran into the room where Bones stood; out of breath.

"Is she not responding?" He grabbed her wrist and pressed it gently. "She has a pulse."

"I know this, Jim." Bones replied in a huff. "It makes no damn sense. The cryogenic sleep should have warn off by now." Her chest rose from her steady breathing, the heart monitor recorder her healthy heart beating, so why couldn't she open her eyes?

"Maybe it's supposed to take this long." Kirk reasoned. "We don't exactly know how long it took Khan, and I sure as hell am not awakening him to check."

Bones chuckled. "That would not be one of your smartest ideas." He crossed his arms over his chest and looked at her monitor. "That's all I needed, Jim. I'll call you down if anything major happens."

_Not that it will. _Bones thought to himself.

Jim patted him on the back and reported back to the bridge. Leaving Bones with the comatose superhuman.


	2. Chapter 2

She was the last one to go. She was much younger than the rest of his followers, and he needed her company. He craved having someone there that understood his struggle for peace and love for his family. She lie on her back inside of the pod. Her head was tilted up and her dark eyes glossed over with tears.

"What's going to happen to you?" She asked the man she had come to respect and honor. She knew he was doing it for their own good and that it was all in the name of protection, but she was not at ease. What if he was not able to save himself? What if she never felt the sensation of running down the ship's hallways, or hearing the sound of the crew's voices in the cafeteria? She didn't want to lose everything she had gained.

"I will be following right after you. I promise." His voice was strained and she could only imagine how hard this was for him. Having to freeze his crew in pods to keep them alive must be hard on a man's heart. Even if the man is a superhuman. He reached out and caressed her hair, pushing a curly black strand behind her ear. An intimate gesture he often bestowed upon her when she was scared. It sickened her to know that she wouldn't be feeling that anymore for a long time - if ever again.

"I need to finish. Stay strong for me. Everything will be alright." He promised. She wiped away the stray tears trickling down her cheeks and adjusted herself in the pod. If he wanted her to be strong, then she would be exactly that. She had watched his process of preserving the rest of their crew, so she had time to prepare herself for the pain. The plan was to push them to the brink of death and suspend them there. All feeling in her limbs was removed as the temperature dropped dangerously and the pod glistened with frost. Her nerves shut down completely and she could no longer feel. With her last breath, she closed her eyes and suspended herself in darkness.

She gasped for air as her body shot up in the bed. The iciness of her pod was gone and she was now overtaken by warmth, a feeling she had not had in a very long time. But this place was in was pitch black. It reminded her of when the darkness first overcame her. The feeling of complete terror and helplessness before her mind too went dark.

She could not see two feet in front of her. Waving her hands sporadically in front of her face, she hoped to see some type of movement, but she could not. The feeling of hopelessness succumbed her like it did when she was first placed into the pod and she found herself screaming out his name.

"Khan! Khan!" She cried out. A loud beeping noise penetrated her ears and she looked beside her to see red lights flashing and moving quickly. Her heart pumped inside of her chest as she cried out his name repeatedly. Why wasn't he there? They were safe, weren't they? He had promised her and the rest of the crew that they would be awakened when things were safe again, so why wasn't he coming to her?

Suddenly harsh light washed into the room from an opening in front of her. A statuesque figure rushed in and gently grabbed her arm.

"Stay still for me, OK?" She couldn't help but hear the familiar sound of relief in his voice.

"Khan?" She blindly asked, for she could not see this man's face. His hand tensed up on her arm. "Khan is that you?"

"I am so sorry." The figure apologized before she felt the sharp pain in her arm. She gasped and immediately fell back in the bed unconscious. Bones let go of her wrist and gently placed it on her stomach. There was a terrible pang in the his chest as a feeling of dread came over him. The way she called out the terrorist's name, it was almost like a child calling out to their father. The girl was confused and scared, he could hear it all in her voice. He took the hypo and tossed it into the nearby waste bin. Before leaving the room, he glanced at her monitor. Her heart rate was now at a much slower, much steadier pace than it had been when he ran in.

Bones sighed and left the room making note to come back and check on her at 0700. The Med Bay was empty aside from the security guard who had initially alerted him.

"Is she alright, sir?" The man asked. His voice was shaky and his blue eyes wide with fear.

"She'll be fine." Bones assured him. Bones slumped off into his office and threw himself into the chair. The sound of her petrified screams and the trembling of her wrist in his hand haunted him. It surprised him that the rest of the ship had not been awakened by her noise, but he was relieved. The last thing he wanted was for everyone and their brother to crowd around like she was a spectacle.

Bones reached down into the cabinet under his desk and retrieved a new bottle of whiskey. He poured himself a glass and nursed it. He didn't drink as much as he normally would, because he had to be alert and ready if the girl were to awaken again. Instead, he took slow and careful sips. Just enough to fog his mind enough to numb the thoughts of the girl in the next room. In the morning he would have to alert Jim. Precautions would have to be made and plans set up to keep her intact. If she was anything like Khan, every precaution that could be taken would have to be.


	3. Chapter 3

A foggy shade covered her eyes as they adjusted to the soft light. I was not as harsh as last night, but it was still a shock to her system. She could hear muffled voices speaking urgently around her and she wanted nothing more than for them to stop.

"Can you all please just shut up?" The girl grumbled. Bones was scheduling a full scan of the patient when he heard her speak. He ushered the nurse out and asked her to set up a time to get the girl checked out before walking back to the bed.

"Can you open your eyes for me and keep them open?" Bones pulled out his tricorder and began scanning over her face. She opened her eyes and he shined a light into her dark irises, watching as her pupils dilated. "You can close them now if you need to." She closed her eyes for only a second before opening them again so that they may properly adjust.

The girl watched Bones as he scanned over the rest of her body with his contraption. She even caught him fleetingly glance at her before returning back to his work. "Are you having any pains? Any aches that I can tend to?" His voice was raspy and a little shaky, which was something she noted. He almost seemed nervouse to be around her.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"I'm a doctor." Bones replied. He didn't want to engage in a conversation with her. Not yet at least. That sort of thing was better left up to Jim and Spock.

"Were you in my room last night?" Bones shoved his tricorder into his back pocket and turned to walk away. He refused to answer anymore of her questions until she was properly examined.

"Please. I just need to know if it was real or some big hallucination." She pleaded with him. Bones felt something twist in him and he didn't like the feeling. The young girl seemed to have this power that constantly evoked compassion inside him. He could not imagine how she felt being awakened from a coma and held inside of a foreign place. The least he could do was answer her simple question.

"Yes." He answered, not turning around to face her again. Bones left the room and the door closed, leaving her alone inside. He immediately went to the bridge where Jim sat in his chair. His hands placed perfectly on both sides of him as he instructed the different officers on the bridge.

"Captain." Bones tapped Jim on the shoulder.

"Any good news, McCoy?" He asked.

"She's awake, Jim." Bones whispered in his ear. Jim jumped out of his seat and ordered Spock to take the helm. Bones led him into the turbo lift and pressed the button to transport them to the Med Bay.

"When did she come to?" Jim asked. He could feel his anticipation building by the second. He had this girl thawed out because he figured she would be of the most help. He only wanted to ask her questions about where she came from, why she was placed in cryostasis, and finally, what she knew of Khan. Something Jim did not want to do is turn in to Marcus. He refused to use her as a weapon and exploit her abilities. His goal was to make her feel safe and eventually trustworthy of him and Starfleet.

"Last night. She started screaming out his name." Jim glanced at Bones. He knew who Bones was referring to, and his plan to reason with the girl took a sharp left. Was her relationship with Khan that serious? This may be a lot harder than he thought.

"I gave her a mild sedative. It knocked her out for a while, but she was alert when I came to get you." The turbo lift stopped at the Med Bay and Bones led Jim to the room where the girl resided. The door slid open and he found her lying on her back. Her eyes drifted to the men as they approached. The doctor was one of them, but he now had another. A younger and more boyishly handsome man.

"Hello." The younger one greeted.

"Hi. May I ask who you are?" She sat up in the bed as Jim grabbed a chair and sat beside her.

"My name is James Kirk. I'm the captain of this ship; The Enterprise."

"Who do you work for?" She asked. Jim hesitated and glanced at Bones. He nodded at him.

"I work for Starfleet." He answered her. She showed no emotions in her features, unlike he thought she would. He half expected her to beat him to a pulp or crash their ship, but she did nothing but nod.

"What is the year?" The girl continued.

"It is 2259." Bones answered. She looked at him bewildered. The girl mouthed the numbers on her lips. They tasted like metal on her tongue. If what the doctor was saying was true, then she should be celebrating - in lack of better word- her 274th birthday this year. Yet, she had only aged six years since she was placed in the pod.

"Is there something wrong?" Jim asked. She shook her head.

"No, no. It's just that I didn't realize I had been preserved for so long. He had assured me it would not be for this duration of time. He promised." She bit her lip and glanced down at her hands. They were trembling.

"Were you close to him?" The captain asked. How did he know who Khan was? Was he his friend? Could he show him to her?

The girl ignored the captain's question and decided to ask one of her own. "Do you know him? Do you know where he is?" Jim shifted uncomfortably in his chair and she saw a change in his cerulean eyes. They were no longer gentle and warm. Thry had turned stony and cold. The doctor on the other hand had turned away and was now staring at the door. He did not want to witness her expression when Jim came out with the truth. Bones was in the right mind to retrieve a sedative just in case she tried to fight, but decided against it. He didn't want her to feel as if they ganging up on her.

"He is not here. He was placed back in cryostasis." The captain answered. The girl's eyebrows knitted in confusion.

"You say that as if he had escaped." She said.

"He did not escape, but he was brought back for a while. A corrupt commander of ours awakened him and used his abilities as a weapon." This was a shock to her. Khan had always stressed the need for peace and equality between all. He would have never agreed to help someone if he were to be considered a weapon. Unless they threatened his family.

"Did he help this corrupt commander?" She secretly prayed that the captain would confirm her beliefs in Khan, and say that he kept to his word and refused to help, but there was no such luck. Deep in the back of her mind she knew that Khan helped him, but not willingly.

"Yes. He murdered many innocent people." The captain's expression was grim. Although Jim knew that this girl had not assisted Khan in his killing spree, he couldn't help but almost resent her and her entire being. Pike had been murdered by Khan and it was all because of Marcus, he knew that. But this girl and the rest of her crew fueled Khan's hatred for Starfleet. Jim couldn't control his hostility.

"Why?" This was the very last question she had for the captain. If Khan was pushed to murder innocents, then he had to have a valid reason. She knew him better than anyone else. She knew that he would not do any such thing unless he was pushed over the edge.

"Because of you." Jim replied. His gazed pierced hers and she felt her stomach constrict. Khan had always promised he would do anything to protect the people he loved, and he was a man of his word.

"Jim, I think that is enough talk for today. She needs to get some rest." Bones interjected. He knew that anymore talk and one or both of them would be an emotional wreck. Jim took his chair and placed it back where he had gotten it from. As he passed Bones to leave he whispered in his ear.

"Keep an eye on her. I will be back at my break to check up on you." Bones nodded and moved out of Jim's way.

"Are you hungry or thirsty? I imagine you are famished." He joked. She shook her head.

"No thank you, Doctor. I have gone without it this long, I think I can manage a few more hours."

"You can call me McCoy. That's my actual name." He didn't think that the constant use of his profession as his name would get either one of them anywhere. She offered a small smile.

"It's very nice to meet you, McCoy. You can call me Kaya."


	4. Chapter 4

**I have written this chapter four times and could not seem to get it right until now. I hope you enjoy! x**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters, aside from the ones I create.**

"We cannot keep her in the Med Bay but for so long, Jim. She needs a proper living quarters and I need my med room back." It had been two weeks since Kaya's awakening, and Kirk had yet to come see her again since their first meeting. A voice inside of him said to make relations with her, learn her story, and get information about her strengths and weaknesses; but another voice contradicted him; Spock's.

"I'm sorry, Doctor, but it is only logical that she stays inside of the Med Bay where she is closely watched. If your need for rooms is urgent, might I suggest placing her in a holding cell?" Bones glared at the Vulcan and suppressed his urge to punch the emotionless bastard into warp.

"I'm not putting her in a holding cell, Mr. Spock," Kirk interjected. "I refuse to regard her as a prisoner." He then turned to Bones.

"But, we cannot remove her from the Med Bay. Not yet. She needs to stay at close watch. I don't want anyone, no matter how powerless they seem, to harm my crew. Is that understood, Mr. McCoy?"

"Fine. I'll just go shove a needle in her and paralyze her from the waist down. Will that help the situation? Will she be better watched if she cannot move?" Bones snarled. Kirk had awakened the poor girl for a reason, and now he wanted to keep her caged like an animal. Bones didn't like it, not one bit, because he knew what caged animals became once released into the wild; feral, hostile, killers.

Before Jim could order him any further, Bones stalked away. Jim looked over at his Vulcan first officer. "Must you be like that all the time, Spock?"

"I am afraid I do not understand, Captain." Spock tilted his head in confusion. "What am I_ being_?"

Jim dismissed the conversation and maneuvered passed his friend. He would have to talk to Bones once he had time to cool down.

Down in the Med Bay, Bones barked orders at his nurses. He knew that it was wrong to force his anger upon his workers, but the urge to rip off Spock's pointy ears was overwhelming.

"Doctor?"

"What?" Bones spun around on his feet to see Kaya standing in front of him. His stony expression dissipated and he felt like an ass for snapping on her. "I'm sorry, Kaya. What's the matter?"

Kaya looked into his brown eyes and she could see his discomfort. She wondered what had caused him to become so tense. "I was only going to ask if it was okay if I ate now."

"Of course. I will get one of the nurses to go to the cafeteria. Anything in particular?" He asked. Kaya shook her head.

"Anything edible will do. Thank you, Doctor." The girl walked back to the room and the door closed behind her. Bones signaled one of his nurses over to him.

"Will you go get Kaya something to eat? Maybe a sandwich and uh, cookie. Something light."

"You call her Kaya? I did not realize that you and the captive were on friendly terms, Doctor." Bones narrowed his eyes at the snarky nurse.

"The meal, Nurse."

"Yes, Doctor." Bones couldn't help but glance over at Kaya's door as injected the hypo needle into the arm of one of his other patients; the nurse's comment burned in his mind. Should he withdraw and return to professionalism? That would be wise, but could he? No. Everyone on this ship knew of her history. It had been a year since Pike's death; since Marcus' betrayal, and most importantly, Khan's defeat. Although she was still frozen when the events occurred, her ties to the terrorist were not left unnoticed.

"Try not to move your arm. Jerk it too much and it might just wake up with a discarded limb." The patient wearily nodded. The nurse had returned from the cafeteria and was going to Kaya's door before Bones intercepted her.

"I'll take that. Back to your station." She handed him the tray with an incredulous eyebrow raise.

"As you wish, Doctor." Bone's sucked the air in through his teeth as the door opened. The last thing he needed was a rumor to spread about his 'improper' relationship with a patient. Kaya sat upright on the bed. Her back was ramrod straight, her hands on her knees, and her legs crossed. Bones noticed her uncanny resemblance to Khan. The way her eyes stared into clear space; examining. Her lips puckered slightly, holding back the many words she wished to say.

"Hello, doctor." She greeted him without turning her head. "I see you have acquired my meal. Thank you."

"Uh, yeah, of course. I'll set it here." He placed the tray on her bedside table and lingered for a moment.

"I would not eat too quickly. Since you have not eaten," He chose his words carefully. "in a while, the food may make you sick."

"I have noticed a change in your tone, McCoy. Is there something bothering you?" Kaya kept her focus on the blank wall ahead. She could hear his slow intake of breath. He was mulling over his response, she could tell. Choosing his words carefully as to not offend her, but why?

After a few moments, he answered simply. "No." Kaya turned her head just enough to see McCoy in the corner of her eye. His shoulders pulled back and his chin up; he was hiding something.

"You are telling a lie, Doctor. Dishonesty does not suit you."

"You should eat. Call for one of the nurses if you need anything else." Bones hastily exited Kaya's room, leaving her with the tray of foreign delicacies. His thoughts were a blur and he found it hard to continue on with his duties. He had not seen anyone else enter or exit Kaya's room, and she did not personally ask for him for the rest of his shift.

As he sat in his office, fumbling with his hands, he thought. She had acted so much like Khan while speaking to him. Her astute mannerisms and calm demeanor was unsettling. When she awoke, she was vulnerable. Scared and unsure. Now, Kaya seemed more sure of herself and less...needy. As if someone had taken over her mind and replaced it with their own.


	5. Chapter 5

Her head ached, her ears popped, and her eyes moved in and out of focus. She lay back on the bed and closed her lids hoping that it would provide some type of relief. Kaya remembered asking Doctor McCoy for something to eat, but she did not remembering receiving anything; maybe she had hallucinated. Kaya got out of bed and was making her way to the door when she noticed a tray full of food on her nightstand.

"Maybe I did ask for food." She picked up the sandwich and took a large bite. Something told her not to eat too ravenously, but she couldn't help herself. Almost three hundred years in a cryotube had taken its toll. The food tasted odd; like the funny taste you get when your gum bleeds after brushing your teeth too roughly. Kaya pulled the sandwich away from her face to look at it.

"What the hell?" The food fell to the floor and left a red residue on her hands. She wiped them on her shirt, hoping it would take car of the red, but when she pulled them back up, more red appeared, and this time, in the form of a liquid. "Oh my God." She furiously wiped them on her shirt, but the substance kept coming back. Her hands reeked of the same metallic odor that was now on her breath.

Kaya panicked and ran to the sink to wash away the blood, but it only filled the sink until it spilled on the floor. She slipped on a puddle as she was moving backwards and fell on her back. A loud screeching noise penetrated her ears before the screaming began. Thousands of terrified cries for help is what she heard. Men and women begging for mercy, children mourning their parents, the crashing of buildings.

Before long, her own screaming mixed in. All around her she could see shadows os humans running before they being smashed to the ground by even larger shadows. She was witnessing first hand what her people had done to other humans, and most importantly, what pain Khan had inflicted on the poor souls.

"The blood is on your hands." A voice whispered in her ear.

"Get out of my head! Get out! Get out!" Kaya squealed. Bones had been complying to another patient's needs when he heard her petrified screams. He dropped his P.A.D.D. to the floor and sprinted off to her room.

"Get me a sedative, now!" He barked. The door to Kaya's room slid open and he found her writhing on the ground. Her sink had overflowed with water and now flooded the floor; soaking her clothes and plastering her curly hair to her face. Kaya's hands trembled in front of her face, her eyes transfixed on the blood that still resided there. The voices in her head had stopped, but her mind still burned with the images of destruction.

"Kaya, I need you to look at me, sweetheart." Bones soothingly whispered. He pulled a few stray strands of her hair and pushed it behind her ear. He pulled her head into his lap and tried to stop the jerking of her body. "Come on, Kaya. Look at me." She turned her head so that her eyes were now looking directly into his.

"The blood is on my hands." She murmured.

"What? What are you talking about?" Kaya held up her hands and showed Bones. He took them in his own and turned them over in his palms. The only thing he could see on her hands was water. What blood was she speaking of?

"Where is my hypo?!" He bellowed. Nurses and even a few patients had crowded around the door, watching the spectacle taking place. A timid nurse pushed through the people and handed Bones the needle. He jerked it from her hands and ripped the off the tip with his teeth.

"Stay still for me, sweetheart." Bone's injected the needle into Kaya's arm and her muscles immediately relaxed. Her hands fell to her sides and her eyes closed. Bones sighed and placed the needle on the floor. "Call the Captain, and tell him to meet me in my quarters." He told the nurse who had given him the needle. "The rest of you get back to your stations!" Everyone hastily shuffled back to their stations and resumed their work.

Kaya's body was like lead in Bone's arms as he walked out of the Med Bay and into the hallway. Eyes followed him and voices whispered as he carried the unconscious girl in his arms toward the turbo lift. He stepped into it and pressed the button to take him to his floor. He glanced down at Kaya, lying in his arms with her eyebrows scrunched and nose wrinkled. He felt a like a father carrying his fussy child off to bed, but she was not a fussy child. She was older than him for Christ's sake! Deep down, he knew that even though she was over 200 years old, Kaya was trapped inside of a seventeen year old girl's body and just like any other teenage girl, she needed protection. He wanted to give that to her.

His ex-wife never wanted to have kids, and they weren't together long enough for her to change her mind. No one else knew this about the Doctor, but he had always wanted children. A son to take out to baseball games or a daughter to protect from the boys; he wanted that. So if Kaya called for him, he would come running, always.

The turbo lift doors opened to reveal a flushed Jim.

"I told them to have you meet me in my quarters." Bones said.

"I couldn't get in," Jim shrugged. "What happened to her?" He ran his face down her cheek and water got on his hands. "Why is she wet?"

Bones said nothing, but began walking to his room. He beckoned Jim to follow him and when they reached door, he told him the code to put in. Bone's room was cold and messy. He had books lying open on the floor, discarded clothes strewn over furniture, and empty bottles of whiskey on his table. The only thing not touched by the tornado was his bed, where he placed Kaya.

"Jim, get me a pair of pants and a shirt out of my drawer." He commanded. Jim grabbed the clothes and handed them over.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to her?"

"Turn around." Jim sighed and turned his back. He knew that McCoy would not speak a word until he was ready. Bones began undressing Kaya before dressing her up once more in his dry clothes. He felt a little odd undressing the teenage girl, but if he didn't get her out of those wet clothes she might catch a cold. Not that her immune system couldn't fight off the virus, of course. He took the blanket off the end of his bed and covered her with it.

"Come on." He tapped Jim's shoulder and led him into the living area. Jim sat down on the couch as Bones sat opposite of him in a chair.

"Now, tell me what happened, Bones. That's an order."

"Don't start with that bullshit, Jim." Bones chided. He sat back in his seat and rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I'm not sure what happened. I heard her screaming, I ran in, and found her lying in a puddle of water. Her compartment flooded. I can't send her back down there."

"Where do you plan on placing her? We've already discussed her need for constant monitoring, and this incident only proves, even more, that she needs it." Jim replied.

Bones hesitated. Sure he'd thought of this since he discovered her screaming the first night, but, after the recent events he realized how absurd, yet right this idea was.

"She will stay here. I'll be here with her during the night, and during the day I will have someone by the door at all times." Jim looked at his friend incredulously.

"Are you kidding me, Bones? No, I'm not allowing that. We know nothing about this girl. We don't know if she's homicidal or suicidal or bat-shit crazy!" Bones sat up in his seat and leaned in toward Kirk.

"Please, Jim. She would be much safer here with me, I know it." Jim had never seen his friend like this. He was begging Jim to let this girl stay with him. He didn't know if he should have him investigated for indecency or to trust him. Bones is crazy, but Jim knows he isn't sick. Something else Jim knows of Bone's intense feeling of loneliness. No matter how much he tried to mask it with sarcasm and stubbornness, Jim knew the truth; Bone's needed someone.

This girl is seventeen years old, being young enough to pass as Bone's daughter.

_ Maybe that's what he wants_. Jim thought. "Fine." He finally responded. Bone's eyes instantly lit up before he masked them again. He cleared his throat.

"Uh, thank you, Jim." The Captain patted his knee.

"I want a full report on her every single day. I want to know what she eats, when she sleeps, when takes a shower, everything. Is that understood?"

"Aye." Bones replied. Jim walked to the door, but before he could leave Bone's stopped him.

"Thank you again, Jim." He spoke lowly. The Captain smiled and squeezed Bone's shoulder.

"No need to thank me, Bones. We all get a bit lonely sometimes." Jim exited the room and the door closed once more. Bones knew he couldn't hide anything from Jim. He'd always find out no matter what. He grabbed a the stray bottles and threw them in the trash. He may as well try to make the place look decent. As he was folding up some of his old shirts, Bones heard Kaya shifting in the bed.

He silently walked over to the door and peered in. Kaya was still asleep, with her hands balled into fists and her lips were moving. As Bones moved further into the room, he could hear her speaking, almost too low for him to make out.

"The blood...is on my hands."

**I've decided to begin doing this in First Person from now on. I'll switch between the POVs of McCoy and Kaya, and I will signal each time that I do so. It will be much easier and I can focus on truly getting into both of their heads than trying to cram so much into one chapter. xx**


	6. Chapter 6

**So, I tried the whole First Person POV thing. Let me know what you all think! Feedback is always helpful. :) xx**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek or any of the characters aside from the original ones.**

Kaya

_ "Khan, how many stars do you think there are out there?" I pressed myself against the glass and tried to count the number of gas balls I could. We were on the observation deck of the S.S Botany Bay, spending our last few moments in peace before it was time to go under._

_ "Well, that question cannot be answered accuratley, Kaya. There is an infinite number of stars out there in the galaxy. As well as millions of other galaxies filled with planets and species of all kinds."_

_ "Can someone get lost out there?" _

_ Khan knelt beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. _

_ "Of course they can." He spoke softly. A tenderness filled his deep voice and put me at ease. "But whatever is lost is found." I turned to look at him._

_ "I would find you, Khan. If you ever get lost out there." I look back out the window, and into deep space. The vast darkness and endlessness is terrifying and fascinating at the same time. I couldn't imagine the loneliness one may feel out there ._

_ He smiles and places a soft kiss on my temple. "I would find you too, Kaya. I will always find you."_

I had stared at my hands for the last hour. Flipping them over incessantly just to make sure the blood was gone, or if it had been there in the first place. I had awakened in a new set of clothes that were too loose for my standard Starfleet attire. My hair was frizzy and dry, but the bed I awakened - also not my own - was wet. I almost started to panic in fear that I may have accidentally wet myself during the visions, but that would not explain why the _entire _bed had been wet.

The door to the room opened and in walked McCoy. He held a tray with a steaming bowl of _something_, and a glass of milk. He was muttering something inaudible when he noticed me sitting up in what I presumed was his bed.

"Good, you're awake. How are you feeling?" I looked over my body and did not see any bruises, my head was not hurting, and my mind was clear.

"I'm fine. Thank you, Doctor." I noticed him grimace when I called him Doctor, but only for a moment. He quickly regained his composure and sat the tray on the bedside table.

"I got you some oatmeal. It's the only Earth meal I could think of that would be light on your stomach, and filling."

I thanked him again, but this time I did not recognize his position.

"Before you eat, I'm gonna check you again. Just to make sure you didn't suffer from any trauma. Do you feel light-headed at all? Sometimes the sedatives can make people a little sick when they wear off." He pulled out that blasted contraption that I hated so much, and hovered it around my head. It made a tiny beeping noise, which I'm guessing meant it was reading my signs.

"No, sir. I am a little confused about how I got here, though. Also, I do not remember wearing these clothes." I say. The Doctor takes his tri-corder and puts it in his pocket, and I swear that his cheeks reddened before they went back to their normal color.

"That is because I transported you to my room, and those are my clothes. Yours were sopping wet and I didn't want you to get sick." He replied. "Do you not remember anything that happened last night?"

I almost slip up and mention my hands, because that is the only thing I truly remember, well, that and the images, but I decided to lie. "No, sir. Not much at all."

"Are you sure you're not suffering from any head trauma?" He chuckles. I shake my head and look at my hands. They are still clean, but I cannot get the blood out of my head. The sight, the smell, the taste of it; everything still lingers.

I hear him sigh before he takes a seat at the end of the bed. "Kaya," He begins hesitantly, as if he is afraid of using my name, but I distinctly remember telling him he could. Then again, he gave me permission to call him McCoy, and I have rarely done so.

"Last night, you were suffering from hallucinations. You kept crying about blood being on your hands. I'm here to say that there was no blood on you." Damn. I guess I couldn't keep up the ignorant act anymore. Even though the doc- I mean, McCoy, only meant his statement as a piece of pure fact, I couldn't help but feel comforted by it. It was if he was assuring me that I had done nothing wrong. That everything was okay and that the horror stories of Khan were all a big lie.

"I'm not sure what made you think that you had blood on your hands," He continued, "but I couldn't find any traces."

"It could have been something I ate, or lack of sleep." I joke. Maybe if I keep the conversation light, the seriousness of the topic we're discussing will dissipate. McCoy's eyebrow arches and he glances at the bowl of untouched oatmeal.

"I'll look into that. Maybe you shouldn't eat this." He reaches for the tray, but I gently grab his wrist.

"I'm sure there is no need to remove the food, sir. Like I said, lack of sleep may have been a cause as well." McCoy glances down at my hand and I quickly remove it, suddenly embarrassed by my actions.

"I apologize, sir. I did not mean to disrespect you in any way."

"No, no, you're fine." He hesitates for a moment, quickly straightening himself back up. "Well," He changes the subject. "I will be in the Med Bay if you need anything. The Comm Unit links to my office if you need to see me. Just press the button and I will come check on you."

"Of course. I'm sure that will not be necessary." I assure him. He scrunched his eyebrow and I berate myself once more. I can't stop offending this poor man, can I?

"Right, well, I- uh, want you to ge plenty of rest. If sleep deprivation was the cause of your hallucinations, then we need to fix that. If it was the food, then I will be speaking to the cooks about their meal quality. I don't want anyone else carrying on about blood covering their limbs." He jokes. I offer a small smile and nod.

"I will be sure to sleep and eat. I think this oatmeal will be just fine."

"Good. Ok, I will be in the Med Bay." He reiterated before turning on his heel. The door of his quarters opens and he leaves me alone without another word. I rub my hands against my face before falling back against the pillow again. I almost entertain the idea of going back to sleep, but the grumbling of my stomach says otherwise.

I take the bowl of oatmeal from the tray, as well as the spoon, and stir the soupy mixture around a little. I only eat half the bowl before I push it away. It may not cause me any hallucinations, but the oatmeal will most definitely cause me problems somewhere else if I eat anymore.

I get up from the bed and check out his room. It's quite messy for an older man; there were discarded clothes, dirty plates, and other oddities. It looked as if he had tried to straighten up because some of the clothes were folded and others were carelessly thrown into a bin. His living room area didn't have much in it as compared to others I am sure. Surprisingly, I found no pictures of his family; no wife, no children, no parents. There was nothing in his room to say that he had any family at all.

"Interesting." I moved over to one of his bookshelves and sifted through the many Medical Terminology textbooks until I found the one I was looking for. A small, worn, hardback book labeled: _The Catcher in the Rye_. A classic no doubt. I once read this book at a very young age, and it was quite old when I did. There was no telling how many years this book had now. I put in back in its place and explored his room a little more. Nothing else of any interest to me was found, but I had a feeling there was tons more outside of those large doors.

McCoy said that I could call if I needed anything, which hopefully meant he would be staying in the Med Bay all day. I imagine everyone else was working soundly and wouldn't notice a teenage girl walking through the hallways. What the hell! It was worth a shot. I moved toward the doors and the motion sensors made them open up automatically. I peeked down the hallway on both sides and noticed no one was in it. We must have been on our own floor or something.

Carefully, I stepped out into the hall and the doors shut behind me with a _swoosh_. There was no noise in the white-walled corridor aside from the sound of my feet padding against the ground. I sighed with relief and quickened my pace, just a tad. Although I knew no one was around, walking slowly wouldn't get me anywhere. I passed by many other corridors that lined with doors and led to other hallways that bustled with people. I stayed on the outer edge and decided against going through the congestion.

As I was walking, I noticed a large open room. There were no doors, no key codes, or guards. It was accessible and free to me. I walked in, and amazement filled me as I took in the view. The large plexiglass window spread from one side of the room, all the way to the other. The darkness of space painted the windows, and bright stars and constellations added detail to the beautiful canvas. I pressed my face against the window like a child; my palms stuck to the glass and it almost felt like I could touch the star with my bare hands. I could feel the warmth of the fire radiate against my palms and the tip of my nose.

"May I ask what you are doing?" I snapped from the glass and turned to see a tall man standing at attention in the doorway. His hands were neatly placed behind his back and his eyebrow raised to an unimaginable height.

"I was just looking at the view." I stammered. "It's breathtaking."

The man's pointed ears perked up and he glided across the floor until he was standing beside me.

"Do you need to practice any breathing exercises? Not breathing is hazardous to your health." He said. I looked amusingly at him. I didn't know whether to laugh at his joke or to actually do breathing exercises. He looked down at me and I saw something flicker in his eyes, almost like recognition.

"No, sir. I only meant that the view is quite pleasing." I turned my attention back to the moving picture projected in front of me.

"Are you supposed to be somewhere?" He asked, although I don't think it was much of a question. More of an order.

"I was in the Doctor's quarters, but I wanted to get out and look around. I'll go back now." I replied.

"The Doctor's quarters? May I ask how you got there?" His expression was void, but I could tell he did not believe me.

"He took me there. That is where I am staying for the time being."

He raised that God-forsaken eyebrow again. "Fascinating." He paused, eyeing me up and down. Were his eyes lie detectors too? "Allow me to escort you back."

"Ok." I shrugged. He walked by my side the entire distance back to the Doctor's room. He then punched in a code and I was once again taken back into the prison cell.

"Thank you, sir." I said politely. The man nodded politely back at me.

"There is no need to thank me. If you will excuse me, I must speak with the owner of this room." He left the room and the door shut behind him. I sighed and ran my fingers through the frizzy mess on my head.

"Great, now I'm going to get grounded, if that is even possible." I went back to the Doctor's bed and fell on it face first. At least I could get a nap in before McCoy came back to berate me.

**I hope you all enjoyed it! Let me know what you think. :)**

**P.S. The next POV will be Bone's and we will see how his and Spock's conversation goes.**


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